The present invention relates to beverage cup insulators and cup holders and handles, and more particularly concerns a recyclable beverage container handle for disposable cups such as are used in various food retailing establishments.
Retailers often provide consumers with some sort of insulating sleeve for the purpose of keeping one""s hand free from excessive heat dispersing from a liquid beverage in a plain, disposable cup. Likewise, a customer purchasing a cup of coffee or tea may be served the beverage in a ceramic cup or mug if the beverage is to be consumed in the business establishment itself.
Ceramic drinking vessels are desirable not only because they are firm and solid, but also because one can use the handle to insulate his or her hand from the heat of the cup, as well as having a secure grip. The novelty effect of a sturdy handle is not only desirable but also necessary when hot beverages are being held. However, ceramic cups are impractical since they need to be washed, and prepared to be re-used. The impracticality is seen especially when take-out food is the order of the day. Paper cups with foldout handles too have never proved sturdy enough to support the weight of a cup filled with a beverage. Disposable cups with an insulating sleeve are somewhat limiting in that the consumer cannot enjoy the practical use of a handle and it""s novel effect, being that the person must hold the beverage directly in the palm of the hand. This is undesirable to many and somewhat crude in various cultures.
Overall, there have been numerous attempts to fabricate a sufficiently sturdy, disposable cup with handles, and even fewer attempts to make a holder or handle, which is actually not already part of a cup. Past examples of handles co-constucted along with a paper cup are as follows; U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,060,781; 2,287,644; 2,378,750; 2,558,287; 2,560,927; 2,659,527; and 2,867,365.
The differences in all of these above patents, while all functional, are generally limited to methods of erecting the handles and varying shapes of handles displayed. There is always some laborious task involved. Also, the preceding handles are all flexible in construction, resulting in a lack of much needed rigidity. The present invention uses a unique construction for sufficient strength, which is not found among past inventions. Secondly, all aforementioned handles require some sort of assembling,xe2x80x94some more than others do. Thirdly, there is another common flaw not shared with the present invention. That flaw being that most all attempt to securely support the weight of a full cup coffee or tea with 2 separate handles which are arranged closer to each other rather than closer to the opposite sides of the cup. The present invention employs something new in the art, which is the latter construction of the handles enwrapping the sides of the cup. They begin at a common point extended away from the wall of the container held therein, are continuous with the entire embodiment, and interface with the outer walls of the container held therein, thus ensuring sufficient rigidity and support. The present invention does not try to copy the appearance of a real ceramic cup. At no time are the handle members perpendicular to the container held therein. More importantly, the present invention employs a superior support structure constructed to give maximum stability. U.S. Pat. No. 2,454,906 is more unique in that there is a vertically disposed handle. However it also requires assembly, and its handle does not interface with the opposite outer walls of a container held therein, unlike the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,558,287 states that its handle members are joined to its cup at xe2x80x9ccircumferentially spaced apart pointsxe2x80x9d. However, the distance of this spacing is not enough so that the handle members actually interface with the walls of the held container, as the present invention does. As FIG. 13 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,558,287 illustrates, the handle members are actually perpendicular to its container""s walls, as is the case with previous and later inventions of container handles.
Earlier examples of similar inventions of cup holders intended to be separate and not integral with a disposable cup are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,866,805 and 1,985,375, Both of these have a flat, one-dimensional handle protruding perpendicular to the side of the cup which proves to have no integral strength when the holder is tilted toward one""s mouth to sip the beverage therein. They also have no hole in which to pass one""s finger. The handle of the present invention is truly 3-dimensional, encompassing the entire body of the container held therein.
Later examples include U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,788 intended to carry a pair of beverage cups and U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,583 which handle section is also consequently flat and one-dimensional, lacking a reinforced structural support and flexing at opposing points where it""s handle is perpendicular to it""s encircled container At the same time, this particular version (U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,583) employs no element to retain and thus secure a beverage container therein, thus the handle easily slides over the top of the container placed inside of it, making it impractical as well as unsafe. This latter U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,583 also uses plastic in fabrication. However, if it is improperly disposed of, environmental unfriendliness becomes an issue. The solution to this problem has been addressed by the present invention, since it is made of biodegradable and recyclable material.
Consequently, what can be learned from previous inventions is that all previous handles on containers which remain curved in their nested positions and which then protrude from and are integral to a cup or container, remain flexible to a large degree since they are all constructed of flexible sheet material to begin with and must be flexible in order to be integral to or folded against the side of a container. When unfolded and used a wobbling effect is produced which is unsuitable when handling a beverage, especially one that is extremely hot.
It can also be concluded that by simply doubling the thin material used in constructing paper cups to make an adequate handle is shortsighted. There is no substitute for a structure that is geometrically sound. The present invention has such a structure, which has not been available in previous inventions. Besides this, previous inventions have often proved to be too laborious in nature to utilize and tend to look nice in appearance rather than work well.
Additionally with the increasing awareness of the importance of preserving the environment, there is a need for an suitable, low-cost, disposable cup handle which can also give the consumer a choice of holding a beverage in the palm of one""s hand, or enjoying the novelty of a firm and stable handle, while at the same time, one""s hand in either case may remain insulated from the heat (or cold) of the container.
The present invention is unique in that it actually adds strength to the container it is placed on, and the container it is placed on reinforces the handle portion of the invention, thus making paper beverage containers safer to use.
Conclusively, what is needed in the art and has heretofore not been available is an environmentally friendly cup handle, which excels in stability, can be quickly and easily placed on a cup with no assembling needed, and may not only insulate a container from one""s hand but also gives the consumer the option of using a stable and comfortable handle as well. The present invention satisfies this and other needs.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a recyclable beverage cup handle is disclosed which comprises a generally planar sheet. The sheet is folded according to a specific arrangement to form a generally circular shape which includes an integral xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d shaped handle portion which interfaces with the beverage container to be held inside of the circular shape, or cavity portion, thus giving the entire invention additional rigidity when in use. The above mentioned handle permits a person to engage or hold a beverage container when container is snugly placed into the complete circular cavity. The handle cavity portion used to accept a disposable container or cup is narrower at the bottom than it is at the top in order to secure a safe and snug fit for the disposable container or cup, which is customarily also narrower at the bottom than the top.
The purpose of the present invention is so that a person drinking a beverage from a disposable container or cup does not have to hold the beverage in his or her palm but can have the choice of using a firm handle instead. The present invention is made from a low cost recyclable and biodegradable material to eliminate the possibility of polluting the environment while at the same time caters to the need for comfort and safety. When the fingers of one""s hand are touching the beverage container there is more of a chance of injury since there could be a very hot liquid inside the container. The present invention greatly reduces the chance for accidents since the user""s hand is away from the container when using the handle, just as is the case with a ceramic mug or cup. Additionally he/she has more control of the container, which is also strengthened to further increase safety when the present invention is being used.
Due to its structure, the present invention uses a minimal amount of material to deliver a maximum amount of strength. Since it is low cost and recyclable, it may be disposed of along with the container so there is no need of using ceramic cups and mugs, which need to be washed in order to be used again. This can be costly and uses excessive amounts of water to accomplish.
Therefore it is the general purpose of the present invention to provide the practicality and novelty features found in a ceramic cup or container by providing a uniquely rigid and comfortable container handle, which may be used on a disposable container. The handle is also recyclable and low cost and can be readily placed on a disposable cup or container when using a ceramic vessel is impractical or unnecessary.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a beverage container handle for a disposable container is disclosed which comprises a generally planar sheet, having a number of vertical margins which designate fold lines and a hole adjacent to a number of these said margins, which, once the handle is manufactured, can accommodate one or more fingers of a person""s hand through said holes.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the present invention, a beverage container handle is disclosed formed from a predetermined pattern on said planar sheet, with a folding means, that is an arrangement of pre-determined folds. Said handle portion along with the cavity portion of the invention are formed from the combination of said holes, a disclosed number of vertical folds, and a disclosed number of permanent bonding points.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the inside surface of the handle comprises a set of opposing margins therein lying a vertical arrangement of surface scores which produce needed flexibility for the curvature of the cavity portion of said planar sheet. The above mentioned scoring arrangement is further detailed in claims.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the handle portion is disclosed, integral to, continuous with and extending from opposing walls of circular cavity portion of said container handle.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a small portion of the said planar sheet between a designated pair of margins defined as the clutch extension element completes the conical embodiment and ensures a snug and secure fit for the placement of a typical disposable container or cup.
Accordingly, as to a further aspect of the present invention, a means of compacting or flattening a plurality of beverage cup handles is disclosed which is suitable for storage and easy access in a retail environment.
Perforations for finger holes are also disclosed, which said hole perforations are explicitly positioned so as to perfectly overlap and maintain a continuous opening to accommodate one or more fingers of a person""s hand when said planar sheet is folded and bonded according to the said folding means described in the detailed description. This said process of folding and bonding is integral to and completes the construction of the invention described herein.
It should be understood that the above mentioned aspects of the present invention are general in detail and are meant to give one a general idea of how the container handle is made. Complete details are described further in the detailed description of a preferred embodiment. The present invention is also not limited in its application to the details of its construction or to the arrangement of its components set forth in the detailed description to follow.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a safe, practical handle, which can be readily placed onto a disposable cup or container, thereby utilizing it""s means of holding or handling such disposable cups or containers.
It is another object of the invention to provide the user with the option of grasping the handle with his/her palm and fingers around the outer walls of the cavity portion which is wrapped around the container, or using the integrated handle portion which may provide the user with a more comfortable and novel experience.
It is also another object of the invention to provide a quickly and easily installable and removable handle without the need for any laborious task of assembling whatsoever. The invention is simply placed on a container.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a low cost, recyclable and biodegradable handle in order to help keep the environment free of unnecessary or unsightly waste.
It is a further object of the invention to provide the consumer with an insulating cup handle which is of superior construction, resulting in a secure and rigid and desirable holder for a cup of coffee or the like in order to avoid accidents and subsequent injury to a person.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with various novel features integral to the claims are specified herein in further detail in the appended figures, as well as in the detailed description of a preferred embodiment.